Periodontitis is a progressive infectious disease affecting the gums and bone that surround and support teeth, often causing tooth movement and leading to permanent tooth loss. About 15 percent of adults between 21 and 50 years of age and 65 percent of adults over 50 are affected by this disease, according to V. Houde, D. Grenier and F. Chandad of Université Laval in Québec, who conducted the research.

Protection Against Cancer, Heart Disease

Polyphenols -- which are also found in fresh fruits, yellow and green vegetables, and green tea -- recently have been credited with reducing the incidence of cancer in humans, the authors point out.

Red wine and grape seeds not only possess anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities, but also prevent heart disease, they say, based on the results of recent studies. Polyphenols' antioxidant properties are responsible, in part, for their protective effects, explain the researchers.

In the current study, the research team investigated the role of polyphenols, including those from red wine, in scavenging free radicals released by immune cells stimulated with components of bacteria causing periodontal diseases.

Free-Radical Scavengers

Because free radicals are generated by immune cells during periodontitis, it is critical to keep them at low levels to maintain healthy gums, the scientists note.

Red wine polyphenols significantly modulate several inflammatory components released by macrophages -- a population of host immune cells -- in response to bacterial stimuli, their results indicated.

Specifically, polyphenols efficiently scavenged and inhibited free-radical generation by host immune cells by controlling intracellular proteins involved in their release.

The antioxidant properties of red wine polyphenols could be useful in the prevention and treatment of inflammatory periodontal diseases as well as other disorders involving free radicals, conclude the authors of the study.